While cycling in Ireland, Carla told me that when I got back, she wanted to go to the ocean. We'd already been to Tofino so we finally got to do the trip I'd been trying to get my family to do for a number of years.
So from the bike travel to van travel with 1.5 days in between! 3.5 week road trip for most of August, dirtbagging our way down the coast. The longest, bestest, father/daughter quality time ever!
Van camped for free the entire trip, using ioverlander and park4night apps, with many campsites on cliffs overlooking the ocean at sunset, being far better than any campsite that money could buy! Plenty of room for 2 to stretch out in the back of the 2006 Sienna. Not tethered to any agenda other than tides, going as far or as little as we wanted to each day. We would centre most days around low tide, so we could explore tide pools just before and after low tide for 2-3 hours. A bit of hiking here and there, mostly at the end of the trip. Took 15 hours to drive from Calgary to the closest beach in Southern Washington state, just north of the Columbia river. Made it about twice a far as we thought we'd go in both time and distance, as we were enjoying ourselves so much, ending up in San Francisco for 3-4 days, before making our way back home inland. Perfect temps and no rain.
You'd think that we'dve shared the driving. Carla drove a total of 1 hour out of the 6700kms. On an Interstate on the way to the coast. She's just not interested and that was OK, as I wasn't driving all day, except for the first day.
Like mega air!
This is me back in 86 on Lake Mead, long before the sarcopenia process started kicking in! Alas, I can only dream of kite surfing....
We brought Carla's paddleboard, but only used it twice.
Another example of 'Crazy Town' comes to mind: Offering a prize of a pepperoni pizza party for the class at school that raises the most money for Terry Fox cancer research, when 5 years ago, the World Health Organization declared processed meats a class one carcinigen, directly causing cancer.
Paradoxical irony?
What you need to know about tidepooling on the Oregon coast. Like don't turn your back on the ocean, because a 'sneaker' wave might get you.
Scoping the sea lions
...and Seal spotting. Since there were no trains.
Deeeeeelish! We lucked out with number 1 on the list for the Oregon Coast.
Yunny Salal berries
Some dude's cute ferrets
Like I said....
Ozzie hat....Ozzie ginger beer....Oregon beach
Haceta Head Lighthouse. The most photographed on the Oregon coast....so they say. From our posh campsite that night.
Totally worth the $.
The sound...the smell....the enormity of it all.
Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation area
Carla in her element
Urchins. The sunflower starfish that eat them (we didn't see any), have been dying out. You know...ocean acidfication, rising temps etc....(with the root cause being human overshoot). So the urchins have been multiplying and have been decimating the sea kelp, with the starfish no longer keeping them in check. Ah well...what can you do, but burn some more petrol and head on down the highway (so sang BTO). Nature will keep us in check soon enuf....😜
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https://www.nsf.gov/news/sea-stars-able-consume-kelp-eating-urchins-fast
Another peaceful spot to spend the night.
Forgot what these are called....mulloscs?
Anemones resembling....
Massive urchin. Carla insisted on keeping it, but after a day it stank the van out.
a tour...just us. Seems there wouldn't be any fish in the rivers without these hatcheries.
Many types of jellies...
and sea caves
Near Bandon
Chariots of fire? Can you hear the theme music playing?
I shoulda got that paddle board out and joined him! Bit chilly without a wetsuit tho!
South of Port Orford
Another great campsite
Sometimes other boondockers joined us or we join them.
bah....
Carla loves a good dip in a river or lake.
Fantastic offshore wind
Near Port Orford for another night.
doing the 'sideways dog' yoga pose
Pink granite?
Low tide at sunrise....
The poser
collecting agate...the best ones you can shine your phone flashlight thru
The one that bit me! I deserved it.
Oyster catchers
Turkey vulture
a sand critter
Glad we were on the coast and not inland.
Full moon setting...
Buddy hear opened a purple urchin for me and carefully scooped out the roe. Not bad....an aquired taste.
Just hanging out? or hanging on?
Windy afternoon hike.
At the pirates festival in Brooking, the last town on the Oregon coast.
Ran into the sea urchin/roe dude and his partner at the pirate fest the next day.
Spy vs Spy!
Was craving another Guinness!
Limpets
The invasion of the purple urchins
Chiton
Sea cucumber
Starfish nursery
My bumper sticker still gets to crux of the pickle we humans find ourselves in.
Hiking in the mighty Redwoods.
Ah...but the wonder and mystery of it all....this living journey.... from the macro to the micro and everything in between.
Sea lions yacking it up in the Crescent city harbour.
Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox! Still there 44 years since I first drove down the coast on Suzuki GS650G...down to Mazatlan, New York and back to Nanaimo.
The idea in Calgary was to do the Oregon coast. But we were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to carry on.
2004. Vancouver, via Victoria, Port Angles and down the coast to the California border in 12 days and then bused back up. Carla and I drove it at about the same cycling pace that I did it 21 years ago. We also played leap frog with a group of 3 cyclists heading south.
....
....just cougar poop....
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| Lombard street, 'world's most crooked road' |
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| Happy camper |
.. only had to replace an ignition coil in #3 cyclinder for $350. Not bad for a 2006 Sienna with 345,000kms. Time to put the 2012 AWD Sienna with 520,000kms on the road for the long, Calgary winter....and dream of the next adventure.
